Over the past several years, it has become increasingly common to convert a used Volkswagon or VW "Bug" into an antique car, a sports car, a dune buggy etc. by replacing the rusted or otherwise damaged VW body with a conversion body commercially available in kit form. Normally, the frame and working parts of the VW including engine, transmission, differential, brake, steering linkage etc. are retained, since the primary intent of these conversions is to change the outward appearance and to possibly reduce the weight of the original VW in order to minimize gas consumption and/or maximize the vehicle speed obtainable with the original VW engine.
Further, over the years, belt type torque converters have been employed to couple an engine directly to a traction mechanism of the vehicle, as evidenced for instance by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,599,504 and 3,680,403, or indirectly thereto via a directional control transmission, as evidenced for instance by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,150,456; 2,256,699; 3,401,582 and 3,939,732. It is also well known to provide speed responsive or over-riding clutch devices to facilitate changing of multiple forward gears incident to release of an accelerator pedal; and to provide an automatic clutch in the form of a fluid coupling device in combination with a belt type torque converter in order to improve the torque conversion characteristics of such converter, as evidenced by U.S. Pat. No. 3,173,311.